Graphic Novel Review: The Okay Witch And The Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner

Posted on December 23, 2021 at 6:27 am by Gene Ambaum

The Okay Witch And The Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner. Aladdin, 2021. 9781534431492. 256pp.

After events in The Okay Witch (which you should go read if you haven’t), beginner witch Moth doesn’t want to go back to school even with her best friend Charlie. And then, in their first class, she accidentally wears the same outfit as her dorky English teacher. She’s instantly a meme — which is just one more way the kids at her school make her feel like an outsider.

Her mom won’t let Moth do magic at school, but does teach her a cool spell that makes things microscopically small. It’s little help though. So when she’s in Hecate to visit her grandmother, she “borrows” a charm that transforms its wearer into a more self-assured version of themselves. And of course it’s cursed, which leads to lots of problems. But this book isn’t great because of the plot — it’s the set of small moments of friendship and family and even the bits of bullying that make it so great.